HAZARD COMMUNICATION BASICS

On June 1, 2015, OSHA implemented the Globally Harmonized System of identifying hazardous materials. A hazardous material is any material or agent that can cause harm to humans or the environment. Particularly any chemicals classified as hazardous substances must be identified with a Safety Data Sheet, formerly known as an MSDS.

Before that deadline, the MSDS had no standardized formatting so that if you were exposed to a dangerous chemical, you would have to look through the sheets to find proper first aid procedures. Today you will find that in Section 4.

The SDS also lists all the ingredients in a substance like the container label. There a consumer will find potential risks associated with coming into contact with the chemical. Anything that is poisonous must be labeled to protect people working with or near the chemical.

Poison can often toxically affect others even in minute amounts. Consider commercial rat poison. The SDS for a common poison states that it contains only 0.005% poison by volume. The rest of the substance is not harmful. At least it is inert, but a large portion of the material must be beneficial to the rodent otherwise, it would never ingest the poison. That means that 99.995% of the material is nonpoisonous, however, if you were to eat it, you would become extremely ill and may even die.

False religion is also a toxic substance, but never labeled as such. Today’s tolerant, non-judgmental culture likes to say that all religions are beneficial, that they all teach the same things. Many believe that you can find common ground in all religions, so we should not judge or label the teachings of various religions.

Now apply that to rat poison. Let’s say that since it is 99.995% good, we should have no problem eating it since it contains many of the same ingredients we find in other food. If it were not labeled as poison, people would become ill from eating it. Some might even die. It is that 0.005% poison that kills.

So how much do all religions have in common? When you study them, you find that they have very little in common. One quick test is to see what different religions say about Christ. Was he God in the flesh, was he Satan’s brother, was he the Archangel Michael, or just a prophet.

Previously I wrote that there are only two religions in the world—biblical Christianity, and everything else. Three areas to look at are: Was Jesus Christ God in the flesh? What kind of works do we have to perform to be saved? Is the Bible sufficient to tell us everything we need for salvation, life and godliness?

Only biblical Christianity states that 1) Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” John1:1, 14). 2) We are only saved by what Christ accomplished on the cross and our works add nothing to it. (Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us,” Titus 3:5. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” Eph. 2:8-9). 3) the Bible alone is sufficient to tell us everything we need to know to be saved and to live a godly life. (“From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” 2 Timothy 3:15. “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” 2 Peter 1:3).

Other religions teach that Jesus was not God, that we must perform some kinds of works or rituals to be saved, and we need other books or materials to learn how to be saved. In the same way that poison must have some good things to attract the rodent, so false religions have some qualities to attract adherents. While all other religions may have some truth in them, remember that it only takes 0.005% error to kill you. Religions should be marked as hazardous to your spiritual health.